Mental Health Counseling Schools Near Lancaster, OH (2026)

Lancaster, Ohio has 9 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs, with tuition ranging from $3,675 to $49,140 per year for indexed programs. Lancaster has a population of about 40,902. Median household income is $54,901 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 21.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Columbus, OH metro area, the top-earning mental health counseling-related role is Clinical and Counseling Psychologist at a median $104,370 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Mental Health Counseling Schools to Lancaster

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer mental health counseling programs near Lancaster, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lancaster city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Lancaster. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

Capital University

Columbus, OH 23.8 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
45.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,143
Avg net price $22,576/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Columbus State Community College

Columbus, OH 26.4 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
56.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,435
Avg net price $8,400/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 95

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Ohio University-Main Campus

Athens, OH 38.3 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
63.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,581
Avg net price $21,637/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 86

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Marietta College

Marietta, OH 65.1 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
50.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,180
Avg net price $21,083/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Wright State University-Main Campus

Dayton, OH 77.2 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
45.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 48%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,500
Avg net price $15,415/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 65%
  • Programs offered: 51

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of Dayton

Dayton, OH 83.7 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
74.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 80%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $75,537
Avg net price $29,533/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 51

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Sinclair Community College

Dayton, OH 85.4 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
55.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,558
Avg net price $5,992/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 144

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Malone University

Canton, OH 99.6 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
48.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,909
Avg net price $20,948/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 31

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Ohio schools on the Ohio mental health counseling page.


Mental Health Counseling Wages Near Lancaster

Lancaster is part of the Columbus, OH metro area (BLS area code 18140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Ohio statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor$59,370Columbus, OH$62,168
Marriage and Family Therapist$81,500Columbus, OH$85,340
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist$104,370Columbus, OH$109,288
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$47,820Columbus, OH$50,073

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Lancaster at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population40,902Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$54,901Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+21.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)95.5 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Lancaster-Area Cities With Mental Health Counseling Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mental health counseling schools are near Lancaster, OH?

Our directory has 9 accredited schools offering mental health counseling programs near Lancaster. The closest is Capital University in Columbus, OH (23.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Malone University (99.9 miles). 8 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying mental health counseling roles near Lancaster?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mental health counseling-related roles near Lancaster are: Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($104,370), Marriage and Family Therapist ($81,500), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($59,370). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Ohio statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Pickerington instead of Lancaster?

Pickerington, OH is 14.3 miles from Lancaster and has its own set of local mental health counseling programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Lancaster an affordable place to study mental health counseling?

Lancaster’s median household income of $54,901 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lancaster while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Ohio public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Mental Health Counseling Programs

Other Programs Available in Lancaster

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Lancaster:

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.